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Golden Eagles take aim at Pirates in Big East battle

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to snap a four-game slide, the Seton Hall Pirates take on the 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East Conference action tonight at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Seton Hall was a force to be reckoned with through the first 17 games of the season, losing only twice and one of those coming against mighty Syracuse on the road. However, the tide has changed for the Pirates and now they are trying to figure out how to get back on course after losing to Louisville on Saturday in a 60-51 final. In the last two games, Seton Hall has scored a total of just 93 points, one less than the team logged in its last win (94-73) versus DePaul on January 10. Despite the slide in recent weeks, the Pirates still have an overall winning percentage of .714.

As for the Golden Eagles, since losing back-to-back games against Georgetown and the Orange on the road earlier this month, they have not bowed to a single opponent as they've strung together six straight victories. The most recent of those triumphs took place on Saturday afternoon versus Villanova, 82-78, a final that was a bit too close for comfort.

Marquette leads the all-time series with the Pirates by a count of 8-2, but last year Seton Hall broke through for the first time since 1956 as it snapped an eight-game slide in the relationship with an 85-72 triumph at home in New Jersey.

Jordan Theodore scored in double figures for the 14th straight game over the weekend, putting up a team-best 18 points, but still the Pirates succumbed to Louisville at home in the Prudential Center. Theodore led all scorers on both sides, but he did so only after shooting 6-of-20 from the floor and missing all five attempts behind the three-point line. Herb Pope registered a double- double with 12 points and 12 boards in the setback as well. Pope is one of the rare breed who is averaging a double-double this late into the season, producing 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest, not to mention having accounted for 35 of his team's 68 blocked shots as well. Theodore is responsible for another 16.1 ppg as the top scorer, handing out 7.0 apg along the way, but his mere 29.3 percent shooting beyond the arc and 38.5 percent from the floor overall is something that certainly could be improved upon moving forward.

Down by 18 points in the middle of the first half, the Golden Eagles stormed back in the second half and managed to overcome 16 turnovers and 38.5 percent shooting from the floor in order to capture the four-point win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Darius Johnson-Odom scored a team-best 26 points, adding six rebounds and five assists, while Jae Crowder registered a double-double with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Jamil Wilson delivered 12 points off the bench. Johnson-Odom, a leading scorer in each of the last five games for the program, is one of the top scorers in the Big East with his 18.5 ppg, with Crowder putting up another 16.4 ppg and coming down with 7.4 rpg even as he shoos 40.0 percent behind the three-point line. Marquette's scoring output numbers 76.5 ppg at the moment, more than 12 ppg ahead of the competition (64.4 ppg) which is being forced into 14.5 turnovers per game.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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